Ontario truck blitz keeps province’s roads safest in North America

by Autos - June 5, 2006

June 5, 2006

Ontario truck blitz keeps province’s roads safest in North America

Toronto, Ontario – A report from Ontario’s Minister of Transportation says that Ontario conducts more truck safety blitzes than any other province, and based on the number of fatalities per 10,000 licensed drivers, has the safest roads in North America. This week, the province will be a key participant in Roadcheck, an international annual safety inspection blitz.

“We’re on the side of Ontarians concerned about safety,” says Minister of Transportation Donna Cansfield. “That is why this government conducts rigorous truck safety blitzes year after year, and our efforts are working. Last year during Roadcheck 2005, we inspected almost 3,000 vehicles and found more than 80 per cent met our safety standards.”

Roadcheck is an international event involving jurisdictions across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Provincial enforcement officers will be at inspection stations across Ontario to inspect the conditions of buses, trucks and trailers, check whether loads are properly secured, and if drivers are driving too many hours. “While 43 per cent more large trucks were registered in Ontario between 1990 and 2003, the number of fatal collisions involving large trucks dropped by about 17 per cent,” Cansfield says.